Bones from ancient Roman rural cemetery excavated in England

London, September 15 : Ongoing excavations at the site of a new park-and-ride development in Leicestershire, England, have unearthed several ancient bodies.

Archaeologists behind the Leicestershire County Council-commissioned work think that their discovery is one of a small Roman rural cemetery.

The experts from the University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) have revealed that the skeletons were found close to the former Fosse Way Roman road.

According to them, the excavations have also uncovered bodies from the Iron Age at the same site, a silver Roman coin as well as items from the medieval period.

"This is a significant discovery. Individual burials are more usually encountered but rural cemeteries from the Roman period are not a common find. The findings are also intriguing as the presence of a cemetery also suggests the nearby location of an as yet unidentified Roman settlement site," the BBC quoted Ernie White of Leicestershire County Council as saying.

"If these remains had not been excavated as part of this scheme, it is likely that the on-going effects of farming would have led to the finds being lost," White added.

The new nine-million-pound park-and-ride facility is due to open in autumn next year.